5 habits that make Millennials stressed and anxious

Living the dream? New data released for World Health Day shows otherwise for 18-34 years old Aussies.

Photo: @ofstyleandsubstance_blog/iStock

“Can’t even deal”. It’s the catchcry of a generation and news just in is that despite doing everything ‘right’, from exercising more to drinking less, the number of Aussie Millennials living with one or more mental health conditions has reached an all-time high (at 1.7 million).

The new data from the Medibank Better Health Index released ahead of World Health Day 2017 (fittingly the theme is ‘Depression: Let’s Talk’) shows the number of 18-34 year-olds living with depression is up from 738,000 in 2009-10 to more than one million. Oh.

Anxiety and panic attacks are also on the rise for adults under 35, with both conditions doubling over the last nine years.

“Today’s young adults are amongst the first to grow up with technology playing the ever-present role it now does – giving way to new and flexible ways of working, as seen in the rise of the freelancer economy. While this brings with it countless new opportunities, it also means today’s young people are required to be far more adaptable and accept a less regimented way of living. We know that a lack of routine can heighten stress and symptoms of mental health issues, and this could be playing a role in the trends indicated in this Index,” explains Medibank Chief Medical Officer, Dr Linda Swan.

“While more research needs to be done into the impact changing lifestyles could be having on our mental wellbeing, it’s worth considering the potential connection as well as the role of increased awareness on the number of diagnoses we’re seeing. Disconnecting for a while and practicing mindfulness techniques such as meditation could help, however if you’re battling with your mental health, remember that your GP is always there for you.”

Does this sound like you? Here are the 5 signs you could be depressed but don’t know it.

Obsessive behaviours

Health psychologist, Marny Lishman, says that because depression is linked to feeling numb, sufferers often search for external ways to feel good. “Things like obsessive shopping, excessive eating or drinking and other addictive type vices give people a rush of euphoria, endorphins and dopamine. It’s like a ‘hit’ and enables them to feel something and ‘cope’,” she says. Marny notes that the problems come when the short term ‘rush’ or hit is over. “People might start repeating the behavior, so much so that it becomes difficult to control over time,” she says.

Sexual promiscuity

Like obsessive behaviours, Lishman says that sex in the moment might be someone’s way of trying to ‘feel’ something that they perceive as positive. “For sufferers of depression feeling a negative emotion is painful, so anything that may numb the negative emotion might seem attractive,” says Lishman. “This replaces giving any care or consideration to the longer term implications, because short term pleasure becomes addictive because it feels good.”

Binge drinking

“Binge drinking goes further than just drinking for the enjoyment of alcohol, but rather, there is an intent of drinking for the sake of drinking.” Lishman notes that often binge drinking is a coping behavior for a negative emotion and helps numb pain. “People with depression are often unable to regulate their emotions,” she says. “They don’t know how to deal with negative feelings, so instead try to block them through excessive behaviours.”

Inability to make decisions and irritability

When people are depressed and anxious, they’re usually more focused on the painful parts of life and any function secondary to survival, such as decision-making, problem solving and concentrating becomes harder. This can lead to increased irritability, as people become overwhelmed with their own circumstances and the nervous system reacts. “The nervous system activates the “fight or flight response” which turns on physiological reactions such as irritability,” says Lishman. “The brain perceives itself as under attack, and acts accordingly.”

Perfectionism

“Cognitive distortions such as ‘all or nothing’ type thoughts come up, which means that many people don’t think they can achieve anything perfectly so they end up not even trying,” she says. This results in feelings of worthlessness or uselessness, and people start to falsely perceive themselves as lazy. “If they’re already feeling quite hopeless, the ‘perfectionism’ in them makes them avoid doing things, as they don’t want to fail ‘again’,” says Lishman. Lishman adds that people with depression also often put unrealistic and high demands on themselves. “Often people base their self-worth on being perfect in many areas of their life, which is quite an impossible standard for anybody to live up to,” she says.

If you or someone you know is experiencing emotional abuse in a relationship, it is important to have support. Some people feel embarrassed to admit they have a problem, but help is essential.

Seek help from your local doctor, or from a relationship or family counselling service.

Alternatively, you can call the following helplines (24 hours per day, 7 days per week):